If you're a college baseball fanatic or just a sports fan who appreciates a good game, U.Va. Baseball Field is the place to be this weekend when Virginia (16-10, 4-5 ACC) takes on No. 3 Georgia Tech (21-6, 4-2 ACC). The three-game battle pits the reigning ACC champion Yellow Jackets against a streaking Cavalier squad that has taken nine of its last 12 games.
The Yellow Jackets returned all nine starters from last year's club and began the 2001 campaign ranked No. 1 in the Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and USA Today coaches' polls.
But they almost immediately suffered a hefty setback when they lost All-American third baseman Mark Teixeira, the 2000 National Player of the Year and a favorite to be the first overall draft pick in 2001. Teixeira broke his right ankle converging on a pop fly with the left fielder and the shortstop in a Feb. 23 game against Elon. He was slated to miss eight to 10 weeks and most likely will return to the lineup in early May.
Although Teixeira's absence certainly is conspicuous, the Yellow Jackets have been able to compensate well. In mid-March, veteran shortstop Victor Menocal shifted to third to fill Teixeira's defensive shoes and played errorless ball in his first week at the corner, leading the Yellow Jackets to a perfect 4-0 week. Menocal has the club's top batting average at .429 and has a phenomenal 26 RBIs in 27 games.
Catcher Bryan Prince also is an offensive force with a team-leading 42 RBIs, an average of just under two RBIs per game.
Georgia Tech has six starters with averages above .300, and its pitching is just as good.
Rhett Parrott dominates on the mound with an ACC-leading six wins. He went eight innings in his last start to lead the Jackets to an 8-1 victory over Maryland. Right-hander Steve Kelly also contributed to Tech's three-game sweep of the Terrapins on Friday with seven shutout innings. Freshman pitcher Matt Lorenzo has provided some clutch work out of the bullpen, tossing five innings of relief Tuesday that held the Mercer offense to just three runs.
Despite the overwhelming talent on the Yellow Jackets' roster, Cavalier infielder Robert Word is confident that Virginia is ready to bring it against the Georgia Tech juggernaut.
"I think we have a really good chance against Tech," Word said. "It all depends on how our offense produces. If we play the sound defense that we are capable of and continue to hit the ball throughout the line-up like we have been doing so far, then Georgia Tech is going to have to come ready to play. N.C. State thought that we were going to be pushovers and we handed it to them. If Tech comes in thinking the same thing, they are going to get handled by a prepared Virginia team."
Coach Dennis Womack agreed that his Cavaliers have enough skill to hang with Georgia Tech, provided they can step up in the clutch.
"Georgia Tech's one of the top five teams in the country, that speaks for itself," he said. "We're capable, [we] just gotta do it. We've gotta make big plays on defense, gotta throw the ball well, gotta get big base hits. That's how you win, you gotta get base hits. When you've got guys in scoring position, you just gotta make plays, that's [true] in every sport. We'll be ready"
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